Four kids, including Covid-positive baby, die at Bihar's DMCH hospital

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Four children have died in Bihar's Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) over the last few days. Among those who died was an infant who had tested positive for Covid-19, hospital authorities said on Monday. According to the Principal of DMCH and incharge of the Critical Care Unit (CCU), all four children were experiencing breathlessness and had pneumonia-like symptoms.

"They were in serious medical condition. They were experiencing breathlessness and had symptoms like pneumonia. One of them had tested positive for Covid-19. Others tested negative," DMCH principal, K N Sharma told ANI. The baby was admitted to the hospital around 6 am on Sunday. He was shifted to the DMCH, the largest hospital in North Bihar, from a private nursing home in Patna after it tested positive for Covid-19.

As his condition continued to deteriorate, he was shifted to an ICU ventilator bed in the hospital's pediatric department and succumbed to the infection around 4:30 pm yesterday. The body was handed over to the family while following Covid-19 protocol. In the second case, three siblings namely Chandan, Pooja and Aarti, died after experiencing fever, breathlessness and body swelling.

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They were admitted to the hospital's pediatric ward on May 28. Chandan and Pooja died on May 29, while Aarti passed away on May 30. All the three had tested negative for Covid-19, were anemic and suffered from pneumonia. Dr. Mani Bhushan Sharma, Superintendent of DMCH told ANI over phone: "The children who had come were all in their last stages in a way, they had severe anemia. For about 15 days, they were getting treatment here and there in the village. We tested them for Coronavirus infection but a rapid antigen test and a subsequent RTPCR test turned out negative."

This comes amid rising concern that Covid-19 may affect children more seriously in the anticipated third wave. There are currently 18,378 active cases in Bihar, as per data from the union health ministry. As many as 6,82,166 recoveries and 5,104 deaths have been reported in the state so far.

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